At Sacred Heart Primary, we believe that PSHE is a vital part of the curriculum in order for our pupils to grow into healthy, confident, responsible adults. As well as gathering a wealth of academic skills throughout their time at Sacred Heart, our pupils will be encouraged and supported to develop their unique identities as individuals, and as members of society. As stated in the DFE statutory guidance for Relationships education (primary), ‘The focus in primary school should be on teaching the fundamental building blocks and characteristics of positive relationships, with particular reference to friendships, family relationships, and relationships with other children and with adults.’ We believe that developing children’s self-esteem is crucial to their overall development. We are therefore committed to helping our pupils gain and maintain a positive view of themselves, teaching them to recognise their own strengths and achievements, and to deal with failure in a positive manner. We want our pupils to be equipped with understanding and respect for all people, therefore valuing different societies, beliefs and cultures. By supporting them through the many relationships they will build in school, we hope to equip them with skills and qualities that will help them form positive relationships throughout their adult life. Our pupils are also educated on how to live healthy lifestyles now and in the future. It is therefore important they have the skillset to be able to make informed choices about their health.

By providing a balanced PSHE curriculum, which is both interleaved and interspaced together with the RSE curriculum, we aim to achieve the following:

• To link the PSHE programme with the Scared Heart goals.

• To provide a caring and supportive Christian environment which creates a sense of belonging in which children can grow and develop to their full potential.

• To foster effective, fulfilling relationships among and between children and adults.

• To increase children’s knowledge of their physical, mental and emotional behaviour.

• To develop children’s confidence, self-esteem and commitment to their personal development.

• To provide wide-ranging opportunities for children to become active citizens of the world, gaining a variety of skills and experiences within the school and the wider community.

• To provide up to date and honest information about PSHE related issues and allow for discussion and exploration of these, in order to develop personal values and allow children to make informed choices.

• To assist children in their ability to make choices, exploring appropriate and less appropriate choices, both personally and for others.

• To foster independence in pupils and assist them in becoming increasingly responsible for their own learning and behaviour.

• To increase children’s knowledge and understanding of the diverse society in which we live and to foster respect for those different to themselves.

• To help children realise the importance of consideration for others and showing good manners at all times.

• To increase pupils’ knowledge of the main political institutions as well their rights and responsibilities as citizens, by learning about the core British values.